Great Minds
by KoolJack1
Summary: When the Ripper continues to stay ten steps ahead, Jack decides a fresh set of eyes may be able to shine light on their case with a seemingly endless body count. AU, Criminal Minds profilers meet Hannibal! Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

Days are beginning to melt together, the ripper ten steps ahead of them at each and every turn. Bodies popping up, seemingly unconnected aside from the brutality. That's always consistent. Some kills seem to dehumanize and humiliate, while others seem far more calm and rational, then there are the ones that seem random and unplanned, and even more that seem to be methodical and thought out months prior. Frustration runs deep through Jack Crawford and his team, especially as Will continues to insist that only some of these killings are done by the Ripper, but when asked why Will can hardly come up with a logical explanation as to how he's deciding which kills are done by the Ripper and which he believes are done by yet another monster. That seems to even frustrate Will himself.

It's rather late in the evening; Jack, Alana, Will, and Hannibal are gathered in Jack's office. The map on the wall next to him has way too many thumb tacks in it, and the board next to it has far too little amount of numbers indicating leads and known facts, to his liking. Will is babbling out explanations, trying to make sense of his own thoughts while Alana calmly tries to assist him in organizing his own thoughts, which Jack rubs the bridge of his nose in frustration, and Hannibal calmly looks from one person to the other, mildly amused by their overwhelming emotions.

"I think it's time we bring in fresh eyes on this," Hannibal doesn't bat an eyelash, but Will and Alana's heads turn as if they'd be struck.

"We don't need anyone else getting in on this, Jack," Will begins, but Jack shakes his head.

"This isn't about pride, Will. This about figuring out what exactly is going on here, who's killing who and how many there are of them, and how the hell we can't catch them. It's obvious we're missing something, and I've made a few calls and there's a team that is stationed here as well. They travel the country and help local enforcement catch killers in their area by gathering evidence and formulating a profile. Their B.A.U. as well, profilers," Jack relayed calmly.

Hannibal was surprised, and pleased, by Jack's decision. Intrigued to meet and analyze more minds, more people to manipulate. Alana seemed to be considering the information, while Will was outraged, "We've put a lot of time into this, Jack. Some team of random glorified street detectives aren't going to be able to do anything that we can't."

Jack's face went dark, and Hannibal fought to keep his face neutral, "They are far from glorified street detectives, Will. They've been able to solve more cases successfully than any other team. They specialize in serial killers, they've dealt with more than their fair share of psychopaths. They don't just join forces with anyone, and their chief in command seemed very interested in our case. I expect you to drop that attitude when they get here tomorrow, they have a million other cases they could be focusing on, and they made ours a priority." Jack spoke highly of this team, and Hannibal could tell he'd done his research.

"Why didn't you tell us you were even considering this?" Will seemed betrayed, and Hannibal was interested as to why he was taking this so personally.

"Because I am in command here and what we are doing is running in circles after a killer, or killers, that seem to be way ahead of us and I'm sick and tired of waking up wondering what bloody massacre is going to pop up next." Jack's tone left no room for arguing, and Hannibal was nearly giddy at the turn of events. Will was quiet, looking like a deflated balloon. "They are away on a case, but they are expected home tonight and will be here tomorrow in the morning. I expect you all to fully cooperate with them, and respect them, understood?" Alana and Hannibal nodded calmly, but Will didn't answer. "Will?" Finally, Will looked up and their eyes met.

"Yes."

Hannibal hardly slept the night before, arriving at Jack's office earlier than necessary in hopes that he could spy the team of profilers before they entered. He was disappointed though, finding that a black SUV with government issued plates that he'd never seen before was parked outside their building. Pity, he would have loved to have a chance to profile them before they profiled him. He wasn't surprised to see Will and Alana arrive in the same car, also fashionably early. Will still looked angry when he got out of Alana's car, but she looked refreshed and as professional as ever. Hannibal checked his hair in the mirror briefly and got out to walk in with them. "Good morning," he greeted politely, and Alana smiled and Will grumbled unhappily in his direction.

The office seemed more lively than usual, apparently these profilers were a much bigger deal than he'd thought. It only made him more excited. Jack met them in the hallway outside his office, "Good morning," Jack greeted, looking more professional than ever, "They're waiting in the conference room." Hannibal looked up through the glass window to their right then. Four men and three women, all rather attractive in their own way, and also very noticeably different than one another. They were talking amongst one another, and Hannibal already sensed a strong feeling of teamwork between the agents in the other room.

Jack wasted no more time, opening the door the door to the conference room and ushering them inside. One man stood first, tall, dark, and serious looking; the glint of leadership in his eye. The other's followed, the last man to stand the youngest looking one. "This is Agent Will Graham, Dr. Alana Bloom, and Dr. Hannibal Lecter. They've been working the case with me for some time now. The dark haired man spoke, "I'm Special Agent Aaron Hoctchner, this is S.S.A. David Rossi and Derek Morgan. Those are Agents Alex Blake and Jennifer Jareau. That's Dr. Spencer Reid, and our computer analyst and liaison, Penelope Garcia."

Only the first five shook hands with the others, their doctor nodded at each of them with an awkward wave, and the computer analyst smiled a cheery smile; her eyes lingering on Hannibal's for a moment extra, he noted. She was interesting, dressed informally yet classy. "Pleasure to meet you," Hannibal said to her. She blushed a wonderful red, and he smiled widely at her, "I appreciate your vibrant colors." Her face flushed further and she smiled warmly.

"The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Lecter," Garcia said kindly.

"Please, call me Hannibal," he replied smoothly. He noted how the dark skinned agent, Morgan, glared in his direction; taking note of his every movement. He wondered if they were romantically involved. He glanced at Will, who had found the youngest agent, Reid, to be an interesting one to look at. Hannibal eyed the young agent. Certainly awkward, obviously the youngest person in the room, lanky, yet not unattractive. His lean form seemed weightless, yet Hannibal could see in the man's expressive eyes a flare that proved he was anything but defenseless. Dr. Reid had seemed to take an interest in Will as well, and the curiosity the two seemed to instantly have for one another was intriguing. He took in Derek Morgan, the muscle of the team. His demeanor didn't seem to leave much room for nonsense, yet he took showed a softness in his expressive eyes, contradicting his tough body language. David Rossi, the older of the group, seemed to be wise with his years. Good at what he did due to his experience, his tired eyes told the story of one too many sleepless nights. He saved the other two women for last, Alex Blake was the older of the two, yet still beautiful in a humble sort of way, her expression similar to Rossi's, yet compassion rolled off of her in waves that only a woman could posses. The final was Jareau, beautiful in all senses of the word. Young, blonde, with shocking eyes that were fierce in a way that let everyone know not to be deceived by her looks. Beauty did not mean weakness. Perhaps these were a very special group of people after all, he licked his lips in anticipation.


	2. Chapter 2

"With a body count this high, I'm surprised we weren't called in sooner," The older one, Rossi said.

"We had it under control," Will hissed, crossing his arms.

"Apparently not with the amount of victims you have," Reid stepped in, matching a glare at Will as the two men stared each other down. That was going to be an intriguing relationship, and Hannibal fully planned on exploring it further.

"What Dr. Reid and Agent Rossi mean is that you seem to have a big problem on hand, and it's surprising you were able to make it this far with such a small amount of man power. We aren't suggesting incompetence, our goal is the same as yours; catch your UNSUB. We aren't here to take credit for any arrests," Hotchner said smoothly, silencing his two agents of further comment. Hannibal observed the overwhelming amounts of respect each of them seemed to have for the man, it was evident in the way each of them looked at him.

"UNSUB?" Hannibal asked.

"Unknown Subject," Agent Blake informed him quietly.

"He knows that, Will just isn't fond of new people," Jack explained further.

"I understand that," Reid spoke up again, his lips twitching in a small apologetic smile and Will's glare seemed to soften. Interesting.

"We're more than interested in hearing what you think thus far," Jack snapped everyone's attention back to the matter at hand, and everyone took a seat. Garcia remained standing, heading to the front of the table.

"Yes, well. First off, you have a lot going on here, so we've decided we have to break it down into who's who and what's what before we draw and accurate profile. Based on the information you've given us, we've concluded you have had a serial killer at large for quite sometime, but he went dark about two years ago; only to resurface suddenly when a different killer emerged. Garret Jacob Hobbs was a serial killer who killed girls who fit the profile of his daughter, and ate them," she made a face, and Hannibal repressed a smile, "You caught that man, but he received a call right before he was completely identified, and that's who you believe is your original killer who killed again after this killer did," Garcia took a breath.

"The Chesapeake Ripper," Bloom said.

"We try to stay away from names like that, that's why we prefer the term UNSUB." Hotchner clarified, Bloom nodded, not offended. Hannibal slightly was.

"What makes this even more messy is that your original UNSUB never killed like this before, leading you to believe it was a different copycat killer. He's removing vital organs, and killing his victims with no seemingly visible M.O. His victims are literally all over the place, different areas, men, women, different ethnicities, different ages, you name it," Garcia concluded, and Hotchner nodded approvingly at her.

"This type of killer is harder to catch," the young one spoke, "It's very rare that a serial killer would choose such a wide range of victims. He's extremely brutal, yet he doesn't have a set way of killing each of the victims, his methods are all over the place. It's impossible to tell if these are victims of opportunity or if he knows something about them that makes him choose them. He's extremely intelligent, alarmingly so. He's manipulative and charismatic," Dr. Reid stated.

"He doesn't suffer from Anti-Social Personality Disorder," Morgan added.

"No, he doesn't at all. He blends in well in society, he's learned to adapt and tangle himself well with other people. For certain, he's a while male, mid to late 30's with a higher education. Sophisticated, based on the way he leaves absolutely no evidence behind and how he manages to always pick someone at random without leaving a trail. He doesn't suffer from Anti-Social Personality Disorder, but he is a Sociopath. He feels no remorse, and he's even more dangerous because he's highly educated and hasn't lost touch with reality. He won't make a mistake, there is no way to draw him out of the shadows. He's exceeds well beyond your average killer, and he'll never lose his cool and leave evidence," Reid rambled further.

"It is extremely likely you've already met this man in someway or another, Sociopath's typically like to be apart of what's going on so they can manipulate things further. They feel nothing, this man is unable to form a real relationship, but his education allows him to pretend very well," the pretty blonde adds. Hannibal's mouth waters, hearing himself described so deliciously.

"This means he is most likely employed by one of the higher occupations on the list of jobs Sociopaths are most drawn too, his ability to manipulate such a wide range of people suggests greater understanding of human behavior. He's most likely law enforcement or some type of doctor. How he handles the body suggests anatomical knowledge. None of his victims were killed in public places or in a haste, which means these people feel safe around him despite knowing there is a killer on the loose," Agent Blake takes her turn.

"He's taunting you, he knows he's stumped you and he's enjoying it. That's how Sociopath's get off, watching their games unfold around them and playing moves far in advance. He's already planned what he's going to do before you figure out what he just did," Rossi concluded.

"We are certain you are dealing with one killer, who is trying to complicate things even more by making you believe there's more than one by changing his M.O.," Hotchner summed up, "We also believe this man is a cannibal, based on the killer that for whatever reason roused him enough to strike again and the fact that he takes parts of the bodies. Sociopath's aren't typically the types to take trophies, they don't feel anything when they relive a kill. They live more for the aftermath."

"What should we do next?" Jack asked, seemingly overwhelmed by the deep profile.

"You have to reevaluate the old murders, before he stopped. All of these victims have one thing in common, they knew him. In some way, that is the only link between them. You'll have to rake over everything again to find out how at least two of them were similar, once you make a few connections, more will appear. As random as these victims seem, there is always one connection between them. He will not stop until he is caught," Hotchner replied, his voice calm cool and collected, "We're willing to stay around and help for as long as you'd like."

"I appreciate that, maybe you can see something we can't," Jack answered gratefully. Hannibal hadn't been this thrilled in such a long time. The game of cat and mouse has just turned into a game of lion and gazelle. They thought they were the lions chasing the gazelle, but they have no idea the lion sat in the room with them, planning his move in advanced just as they said. That could wait though, he was more interested right now in getting closer to the profilers and adding them to his game. Their minds were full of uncharted water for him to tread in, and he planned on exploring them one at a time while they chased a killer who was too interested in them at the moment to continue killing.


	3. Chapter 3

Things progress quickly then, and everyone is in business mode. Hannibal sits by quietly while Jack address his half of the room. "Will and Dr. Lecter, you two will stay together." As if he would separate them, "Dr. Bloom and I will be together, and I'll assign a few other officers to go over the other crime scenes with them." Hannibal found the show of authority and control Jack was putting on for their company rather amusing.

Agent Hotchner nodded, then addressed his team, "Morgan and Blake, you'll be with Agent Crawford and Dr. Bloom, Rossi you'll stay with me, J.J. stay back with Garcia, comb through the files they have here and Garcia run background checks on any suspects in the files or anyone interviewed. Reid, you stay with Agent Graham and Dr. Lecter." Hannibal glanced at Will, who had taken to staring at the other agent again. Reid smiled slightly in his direction, standing when Morgan put a hand on his shoulder. The two men hung back as everyone filed out of the room, assignments on hand. Hannibal hung near the door, just outside.

"Everything alright, Reid?" Lecter listened intently, pretending to be interested in Jack while he explained exactly what each of them were to do.

"I think so, somethings not right though," the younger man sounded uncertain; thoughtful.

"I can ask Hotch to let me go with you, I'm sure Blake will be alright."

"I can handle it, just something doesn't feel right."

There was a pause, "It's alright, pretty boy. Try to figure it out when you go to the crime scenes, don't let them intimidate you."

He heard the two of them make a move for the door, and he focused his attention back on Jack just as they emerged. Morgan gave Reid one last look before joining Blake, and Reid came to stand next to him. Hannibal was elated, being paired up with this agent seemed better than any of the others. Another Will type, and he'd have them both alone. "Just take him to the the most recent crime scenes, let him see the area and where the bodies were left. Take a file with you, so he can see how the bodies were left." Jack concluded, nodding at both him and Will. He turned to Reid, extending a hand, "And I appreciate your assistance, Doctor." The younger man took the hand more confidently than Hannibal expected him too, but said nothing.

Will already turned away and was heading down the hall way, a copy of the case file in hand. Hannibal glanced at Reid, "He's just not comfortable with new people."

"We're only here to help, we get that a lot though," Reid started walking and Hannibal fell into step next to him.

"You're a psychiatrist," Reid said, and Hannibal was pleased he was making small talk, "I read some of your work."

"Indeed I am, do you always take such an interest in the people you're working with?"

Reid cleared his throat, "Yes, actually. Hotch always gets the names of the agents we'll be working with on the case. I try to have a little prior knowledge."

Impressed, Hannibal smiled slightly, "Everyone gets profiled then, the good guys and the bad guys."

Reid opened the door, holding it opened for him, "In a way, yes. We like to have background knowledge on the local law enforcement, the team working the case, as well as the victims and the UNSUB. That's Garcia's specialty, she's wonderful at what she does."

"And beautiful while she does it," he comments smoothly, and Reid blushes slightly. Will is already in Hannibal's car, front passenger seat. Hannibal controls the smile that nearly makes it's way onto his face. He can't wait to hear Will's thoughts about all this later. "They address you as doctor as well," Hannibal states.

"I have a few PhDs," Reid says dismissively.

"A few, may I ask how old you are?"

"I nearly had my first PhD before I was eighteen, my eidetic memory allowed me to learn at faster pace," he speaks like he's answered these questions many times before, and Hannibal is sure he is. He takes the other man's appearance in. Talk, extremely thin, messy hair. His clothes were presentable but out of style, he looked clean.

"That's very impressive," he says, letting the subject drop as the other man comments no further and opens the back passenger door and climbs in. He gets behind the wheel.

Will has the case file open on his lap, "Jack said for us to take him to the field where the copycat first killed, then to the Hobbs cabin where Marissa's body was found." Reid is leaning between the seats, looking at the file over Will's shoulder. Hannibal says nothing, and drives from the parking lot; in the rearview mirror, he sees the other agents exiting the building and heading towards their cars.


End file.
